Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott said the country will adjust to the consequences of the coronavirus much like it adjusted to the increased travel security practices after 9-11.

Said the governor Monday night on “Hannity“: “Just like we learned how to adjust after 9/11, we can learn how to adjust after this with some slight modifications.”

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Abbott detailed the reopening process in Texas. saying, “You’ve heard of Home Depot. We have Home Depot in Texas, we have— the largest grocery store in the state is H-E-B as well as Walmart.”

He continued: “So they opened up at 25 percent capacity, these stores did. And they were able to provide the goods for their customers in ways that had distancing practices so that people remain safe. So while those stores were open, we reduced the spread of the coronavirus. We know that all retail can open up. We need to get back to business, [and] allow everybody to sell their goods.”

Abbott concluded: “We know that’s [25 percent capacity] not good enough, but if we can do this and prove that we can do it for two weeks, then we can take the next step and open up at 50 percent capacity. And if we can continue to contain the spread, we can open up all the way one step at a time, making sure we put safety first.”

Governor Abbott has a point on comparisons with 9-11. We can all remember what it was like to meet friends and relatives at the arrival gates of airports prior to 9-11. We can also recall the relative ease of security procedures that air travelers went through to board a plane then.

Though 9-11 changed the process, the cost was a small price to pay for ensuring an attack like that would never happen again because of lax security. The precautions that we take now to fight the virus, and continuing measures in the future, will be dealt with by Americans with the same can-do spirit. Abbott’s gradual and safe reopening of his state is also a plan that lends itself to serious consideration by other states.